A unified Discovery-Picard theory

At this point (post Picard episode 7, "Nepenthe"), I find the theory in this article (click and read; I’ll wait) to be pretty convincing: Discovery and Picard are part of a unified canon dealing with Control, a malevolent AI that evolves from a Section 31 system. Now that we’ve seen the vision Commodore Oh shares with Jurati in a mind-meld, which resembles Spock’s apocalyptic visions, that’s not very farfetched. But I think the theory as presented in this piece might be wrong about at least one thing.

In considering how the Romulans of the past might have developed the mythology of a future AI apocalypse, the author theorizes that it has something to do with the supernova that destroys the Romulan homeworld and, in the first Abrams movie, throws Spock and Nero into the past. But if we're looking to explain information being transmitted through time, why look any further than the method established in Discovery: the Red Angel? We know that Michael Burnham acts as the Red Angel, jumping through time to guide Discovery and make sure events develop in a way that will ultimately defeat Control.

In Discovery, Control is after data from an ancient sphere that is now stored in the ship's computer -- data Control will somehow use to become fully sentient, or all-powerful, or something. At the end of S2, Discovery jumps into the distant future in order to keep that data from Control. But there’s a gaping logic hole in that resolution that's been bothering me ever since S2 ended: Control is immortal and doesn’t care how much time passes. (I keep thinking of Marvin waiting a billion years at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe). Control will eventually catch up to Discovery and go after the sphere data again. How does jumping to the future solve the problem? All they’ve really done is buy some time.

But for what?

My theory is that Picard is beginning to answer that question. Maybe the Red Angel spreads a vision through time of a future synthpocalypse in the hope that, with multiple civilizations working on the problem over millennia, a solution might evolve organically, a way of defeating Control that Discovery’s crew couldn’t hope to devise and achieve in the limited time available to them. The universe is a quantum computer, and the Red Angel feeds it a problem that it works on in the background for millennia.

How better to defeat an AI than with another AI? Maybe there’s something about the work AI developers have been doing for centuries – something in the work of the Daystroms, Soongs, and Maddoxes, which they may not even have been consciously aware of – that addresses the problem of Control. Maybe the impulse to create an AI with empathy for sentient organic life, an AI that actually emulates sentient organic life, is sentient organic life's inevitable response to the threat of an AI bent on its total annihilation. That kind of AI would serve as our defender. What if Ramdha’s reaction to Soji, calling her the Destroyer, isn’t referring to the destruction of the Romulans, but to the destruction of Control? If Control created the Borg (which Discovery hints at with the subtlety of a falling anvil), that might very well be what Ramdha, an ex-Borg, means.

So that’s my theory of the day: Soji is the anti-Control, or at least, a step toward the development of one. With my track record, though, I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.

The Red Angel Wrinkle

In my last post, after expounding on how the Red Angel was probably Michael, what with her archangel name and all, I said, "Maybe Michael is more red herring than Red Angel?" And...yup. It was!

So I'm stopped at a red light, thinking about the Red Angel (which seems appropriate, I guess), who turns out to be Michael's long-lost parent, a scientist who got lost in time because of a science experiment, and it hit me -- the probable inspiration for the left turn this story just took: A Wrinkle in Time. Sullen, troubled Michael (Meg) and cranky, troubled Spock (Charles Wallace) set off on a crazy adventure to find the absent parent. There's even a dangerous Big Brother A.I. called Control (in Wrinkle, CENTRAL Central Intelligence and/or IT) controlling stuff and eventually destroying all sentient life if it can just get the right software upgrade. (ADDING: I suppose that makes Pike Calvin.)

Will the rest play out along these lines? Was Michael's mother lost and/or captive, as Meg's father was, or has she actually been controlling events? Will Michael have to save Spock as Meg does Charles Wallace? Will the message be about the importance of love and individuality over complacence and conformity? Fair warning: Whenever I come up with a brilliant literary basis for my speculation, I'm generally wrong. But still...I mean, think about it. Especially, Spock is Charles Wallace. He so is.

On the whole, not my favorite episode. Mostly, I was confused. Why did they have to trap the Red Angel? What exactly is Control up to and what is its relationship to the Red Angel? If they thought the Red Angel was future Michael, then wouldn't she know that they were planning to use her as bait, because she was there? But maybe that's exactly what Spock realizes -- that he has to stop anyone else from saving her, so that she would know he's going to do that, so she has to come back and save herself. (Don't you just love time travel stories?) Hopefully, some of those answers are coming, but I would have liked to have a clearer idea of the point of the trap they were setting.

Also, am I supposed to be warming up to Georgiou now? I interpreted her flirting with Stamets and Culber as an attempt to make them jealous and get them interested in each other again, which is...nice? I think? I really don't know how to feel about this, what with her eating Kelpians and all.

Also also, Burnham being all pissed off at Ash for being in Section 31 seems kind of harsh, given that he probably doesn't have a whole lot of options as a part-Klingon sort-of murderer.

One last thing: They need to stop this nonsense of all Tilly's scenes being about her inappropriate nervous babbling. It's not funny anymore, and they're just reducing her to a running gag. I will not stand for that. Just stop.

Oh wait, no, there was one other thing: Trembling lips and soulful singing at Airiam's funeral. Sob.